We flew from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada with a brand new Airbus A321neo. The flight was smooth and we also got complimentary onboard services. We would surely fly again with TAP Portugal. Read more from our review!
Covered in the Article
TAP Air Portugal
TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier of Portugal. The airline was founded in 1945 and now it is a member of the biggest airline alliance in the world, Star Alliance. TAP Air Portugal (TP) also has codeshare agreements with about 30 other airlines. TAP Air Portugal flies domestic routes inside Portugal and international flights across Europe, America and Africa. With about 90 planes in the fleet, TAP is a medium-sized European airline with a respected brand.
TAP operates only Airbus fleet. Short-Haul routes are operated with the Airbus A320 series and longer flights with Airbus A330. TAP is a pure Airbus company.
TAP Express
TAP Air Portugal has also a regional airline called TAP Express. It operates only short and medium-haul routes. The airline flies with ATR turboprops and Embraer turbofans.
TAP Cabin Classes
There is a business class in TAP's aircraft. In this review, we concentrate only on the economy class.
Economy class tickets are divided into four price classes with different service levels. Economy class seats are also divided into two areas: the normal economy class seats and EconomyXtra seats.
EconomyXtra seats are coloured red and they are located just behind the business class. These seats are more spacious, they have USB charging sockets and a reclining seat.
The normal economy class is behind the EconomyXtra. Seats there are coloured green and they are missing the extra features that EconomyXtra seats have. Onboard meals are usually simpler than in EconomyXtra.
With the cheapest tickets, you will end up with a traditional economy class seat. With a more expensive ticket, an EconomyXtra seat may be yours. EconomyXtra seats are available only in Airbus A330 and Airbus A321neo planes. In other aircraft types, all economy seats are similar except that there are a few more spacious seats around the emergency exits.
Services in Economy Class
The cheapest economy class ticket does not include hold luggage. Only standard-sized carry-on luggage with a maximum weight of 8kg is allowed. A more expensive economy ticket includes 23 kg hold luggage. The same rules apply to domestic and international flights.
TAP still serves meals and drinks even in the economy class. On short routes, the meal means a simple snack. When the route gets longer, the snack may be a hot or a cold meal. On EconomyXtra seats, the meal is better. The drink selection includes soft drinks, beer and wine.
Our Flight from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada
In February 2020, we flew from Lisbon to Ponta Delgada with TAP Air Portugal. We boarded a brand new Airbus A321neo. The cabin had a business class and an economy class. The economy class was divided into two sections: The red EconomyXtra area and the green area - economy class. We sat in the normal economy class while we were flying with discounted tickets.
The whole cabin was almost empty. Only about 30% of the seats were taken. The flight departed on time and it also arrived in Ponta Delgada on schedule. The flight was eventless.
How to Find Inexpensive Flights?
Follow our simple checklist to find a good deal:
- Compare flight prices on Skyscanner on different dates.
- Choose the most suitable schedule and price.
- Decide whether to book directly from the airline or via an Online Travel Agency (OTA)
- Let Skyscanner to forward you to the chosen booking site.
- Go through the booking process and avoid buying unnecessary extras.
- Double check all the details CAREFULLY before the payment.
Rating
Check-in and boarding
The ground crew handled the boarding process fast. People were shared in four queues and those who had only a small bag were allowed to board first. The onboard crew were friendly and efficient.
Cabin
The cabin of the Airbus A321neo looked very clean and stylish. The nice use of red and green colours on the seats made the cabin look fresh. Legroom in the normal economy class is not big but it was enough for us.
Onboard Services and Entertainment
We were offered soft drinks, tea and coffee and a small bag of chips. Also complimentary alcohol was available. Passengers in the EconomyXtra had a better serving. In the era of low-cost airlines, it is always nice to have complimentary onboard services.
Airbus A321neo didn't have onboard entertainment systems or Wi-Fi. Airbus A321LR and A330neo have them. TAP Portugal magazine was available.
Ticket Price
Our ticket was affordable costing less than 50 euros per person. According to our investigation, the price level of TAP Air Portugal is competitive. Tickets also give value for the money.
Overall Rating
A short-haul flight in the economy class of TAP Air Portugal was a great experience. Our tickets were affordable but we got into a brand new plane. It was stylishly decorated and the crew behaved professionally. Also, complimentary drinks and snacks were served. We were pleased with the price-quality ratio on these flights and plan to fly TAP again in the future. In other words, we can recommend flying with this airline.
Common Questions
- Is TAP Air Portugal safe?
- We can't guarantee that any airline is safe but TAP Air Portugal has good safety statistics and they operate professionally.
- Is there onboard entertainment in the economy class of TAP Air Portugal?
- Widebody jets have onboard entertainment systems installed as also Airbus A321LR aircraft.
- Does TAP Air Portugal have onboard Wi-Fi?
- Yes, Airbus A321LR and Airbus A330neo have been equipped with Wi-Fi service. It is a paid extra.
- Does TAP Air Portugal offer free alcohol in economy class?
- Yes, complimentary drinks are offered including wine and beer.
- Does TAP Air Portugal serve complimentary meals?
- Complimentary meals or snacks are served. The type depends on the ticket class, aircraft type, flight duration and time of the day.
- Can I put luggage on hold on TAP Air Portugal's flight?
- The cheapest ticket type does not include hold luggage but others do.
- What are the hubs of TAP Air Portugal?
- Lisbon and Porto are the hubs of TAP Portugal.
- Where to buy TAP Portugal flights?
- Compare flight tickets on Skycanner. It finds differently priced connections.
Bottom Line
TAP Air Portugal is a good choice if you are flying between Europe and South America or around Southwest Europe. The company has many well-equipped new aircraft in the fleet. Especially the new neo fleet (A321neo and A330neo) can be recommended. They are comfortable and the cabins look nice.
Have you flown with TAP Air Portugal? Comment below how you felt about it!
About the Author
Niko is one of the founding members of Finnoy Travel. He does not only handle the technical operations of the Finnoy Travel, but also generates content, both independently and in collaboration with others. His content primarily focuses on reviewing travel services, providing information about Finland, and sharing useful travel tips.
Niko's passion for aviation complements his vast global travel experience. When crafting articles, he devotes substantial amounts of time to thorough research on his subjects. His pieces are not only enlightening but also encompass his individual experiences.
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Comments (17)
Never use TAP. They're frequent liers!
I tried to rebook my family flight before the departure by calling TAP. Nobody was answering. I tried to do it through their website - not working, showing error messages after every attempt.
Finally after 1,5h I managed to contact the company. 1000 EUR additional costs - I was lied by the consultant about fare difference price which was bigger comparing to the offer available at their website. I hang up to see if I can afford it and decided to call them back and rebook.
This time it was already 1300 EUR because they added no-show fee. All of this after they were not picking up the phone and website was not working. No show? Yeah, right. They blamed me for trying to rebook late (I have a full right to do it!). They didn't take any responsibility for the website which is not working. Blamed me for it!
One of the passengers was denied boarding so they said that this is a reason why they counted is as no show. So why they wanted to charge all passengers no-show fees? They didn't know and couldn't recall specific regulation for this in fare rules. Great, huh?
I thought - ok, I really need this flight to happen. Even if I got cheated I decided to pay and later sort this out in the court. After another hours of calling (over 6h total!) they closed customer service phoneline. In meantime they hanged up twice.
Next day I called at 8am. The price was 1700 EUR already, What's more the consultant told me that only the first offer didn't include the no-show fees and after I rejected it the next ones had to include it. Another LIE. I never rejected the offer - I needed to check if I can afford it. I was also not told by Mrs. Fernanda Ferreira that if I hang up I'll have to pay more.
To sum it up: I got lied to multiple times, cheated and additionally because of it I have to rebook my personal flight which costed me about 220 EUR.
Never trust TAP, based on my experience they can lie, cheat and make you're TAP experience really unforgettable. I have no words! Try to explain 4 year old that his dream holidays are not going to happen. AVOID THIS AIRLINE IF POSSIBLE. Customer service is way worse than Ryanair (at least they speak good English).
My experience with this airline has been a true tragedy that has probably taken years off my life and I am shaking even as I type this. I purchased a flight before COVID and the trip was cancelled due to the pandemic. I am still trying to get my almost $1,000 refund for that flight. I am a nursing student on a limited budget and these people should be in jail for how they treat their customers. When I call, I am placed on hold for a good 2 hours, speak with someone that half the time is totally rude (even when they hear me cry on the other end), and nothing gets resolved. I am so upset that I feel like all I can do is write these reviews to warn other people never to use this airline.
Do not fly with Tap airlines. I booked a flight late 2019 so that me and my family could fly from Canada to Portugal August 2020. The pandemic hit and we tried to get a refund but had to settle for a voucher or we would lose our money. My voucher will expire June 2021. I called for an extension and was told they will not give me an extension and if I don't use the voucher then I loose my money.
DO NOT BOOK WITH TAP.
Every single airline company had problems with the covid, they suffered and they will suffer with the business cut, so sometimes the customer service can be affected by the circumstances. I've used tap many times in the past and never had a single problem and I think it's a very reliable and safe company. My parents they do not fly with other than tap.
Thank you for the comment. Well said, COVID has caused many challenges to the airlines.
TAP has to be one of the most horrible airlines and no wonder their reviews are horrible as well! My aunt was scheduled to come to America from Portugal but had to switch her flight in November 2020 and March 2021 due to United States borders only being open for citizens and aliens. My aunt was charged about 300 each time the flight was changed which is ludicrous. I contacted TAP and questioned about the charge since there isn’t a way for her to visit US and the agent was not helpful and when asked to speak with a supervisor he said there’s no way that can be done! TAP do better because without your consumer you are NOTHING!
Booked last February,2019 for October trip to Lisbon from Miami. Covid lock- down.Unable to go. Got a TAP credit of only 50% of flights.Aprox, $700.00 from the 1,500 I spent. Must rebook by September of this year for travel within a year. Horrible contact experience like others mentioned to even get the credit that I did get.Website is Horrible to Navigate. I will use the credit and go to Portugal. But I'll never use this airline after. Shame on them for taking advantage of people during this pandemic.